The Book that Has Taught Me a Lot

Why do people read books? Someone wants to know something new, others like exciting stories or just try to kill their time, etc. It is great when a book can serve all your needs. However, sometimes we come across something passing, so called light reading, which gives no serious food for reflection. Such literature suggests we should send our heads away. Nevertheless, there are almost eternal books concerned with moral values. Russian writers are the ones who have made an important contribution to the world literature. Suffice it to mention “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy, “Crime and Punishment” and “Idiot” by Fyodor Dostoevsky, “Doctor Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak, numerous works of Anton Chekhov and so forth.

In my opinion, it is impossible not to say anything about Mikhail Bulgakov. Each of us is certain to have read “The White Guard”, “Heart of a Dog”, “A Theatrical Novel” or “The Fatal Eggs”. “The Master and Margarita” is said to be the main Bulgakov’s novel though. Of course, it happened to me to hear this book produce a negative impression or no impression at all. In spite of this fact, I think it is a serious and very useful book. Laugh and grief, joy and mental anguish can be found there. Sometimes it is difficult to define if it is real or fantastic.

The age-old problem of good and evil is raised here. Being one of the main characters, Voland seems to be the incarnation of evil, the devil in the flesh, Satan in person. Eugeny Sidorov writes in the introductory article that ‘even if such Voland didn’t exist, he should be made up’. Moreover, actually he didn’t turn out to be a negative character. It may sound strange but he teaches us to live morally when showing and punishing, for instance, Berlioz or even Pontius Pilate. The author in the person of Voland catches out in a lie and unmasks those whose conscience is not clear.

Of course, the interpretation of the book is many-sided, yet, in my opinion, one of its most important lessons is not to strike a bargain with your conscience. If so, you run risks to become some kind of shadow of your former self. Unfortunately, often it is necessary to have someone who can dun us for it. But is there anyone who can do it except for us?